Leo Marks | |
|---|---|
 Leo Marks in 2000, at the opening of the Violette Szabo Museum, Wormelow Tump, Herefordshire, England | |
| Born | Leopold Samuel Marks 24 September 1920 London, England, United Kingdom |
| Died | 15 January 2001 (aged 80) London, England, United Kingdom |
| Occupation(s) | Cryptographer, writer and poet |
| Known for | The Life That I Have (poem) Peeping Tom (screenplay) Between Silk and Cyanide (book) |
| Spouse |
Elena Gaussen (m. 1966–2000) |
Leopold Samuel Marks, MBE (24 September 1920 – 15 January 2001) was an English writer, screenwriter, and cryptographer. During the Second World War he headed the codes office supporting resistance agents in occupied Europe for the secret Special Operations Executive organisation. After the war, Marks became a playwright and screenwriter, writing scripts that frequently utilised his war-time cryptographic experiences. He wrote the script for Peeping Tom, the controversial film directed by Michael Powell that had a disastrous effect on Powell's career, but was later described by Martin Scorsese as a masterpiece. In 1998, towards the end of his life, Marks published a personal history of his experiences during the war, Between Silk and Cyanide, which was critical of the leadership of SOE.